Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Some things....

Snapshot:Things I like on the internets today.

1. I guess Howard Chaykin is a genius. This 1970s comic book looks quite fascinating in miniature. Blown up, it scans well and is just golly gee weird. I thought about Chaykion this past week becasue I saw the new Predators movie and I remember him in that old Comics Journal or Amazing Heroes interview complaining about the first movie with Arnold and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, noting of the bloated 80s action directorial style, that it took fifteen minutes for them to get out of the goddam helicopter at the beginning of the movie. Not so the 2010 sequel.

2. There's something about the colour and the panels and the expressions in these old Kirby comics that transcends genre and period.

3. My local comic book store, The Dragon in Guelph, has been nominated for an Eisner "Spirit of Retailing" award (winner to be announced Friday at Comicon in San Diego) and I just want to say congrats to Jenn and the gang at the shop, even though I've only been in twice since they moved. They used to be at the end of the street my store is on and I would go in twice a week when I went to the coffee shop/bar next door. Sort of sad they moved but not sorry I stopped buying piles of shitty new comics published by Marvel and DC out of boredom and nostalgia. Anyway, the store is great: clean and professional with not too much space afforded to gamers and games and some good graphic novels on the shelves and support for manga, kids comics and comics for non-fans/casual readers.